Distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: light transverse stripe, situated in occipital region between the opercular openings, thin and sinuous, sometimes discontinuous; pale region below dorsal and adipose fins mottled with brown spots; dark stripe in the axis of gill filaments in alcohol preserved specimens. Differs further from Microglanis parahybae and Microglanis garavelloi, the closest species geographically, by the following combination of characters: longer head length (28.3-32.1% SL vs. 25.5-28.5% and 25.2-30.2, respectively), shorter dorsal spine length (11.7-14.9% SL vs. 14.1-18.1% and 11.3-19.0), shorter pectoral spine length (12.5-19.7% SL vs. 19.4-22.7% and 18.5-26.2) (Ref. 58766).

Description: D with one spinelet and I,6; A iii,6-iv,8; P I,5; V 6 (Ref. 58766).